


Between Me and You

by AnythingAtAll



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 10:58:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7712314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnythingAtAll/pseuds/AnythingAtAll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sorry for spilling all over you there,” Nursey laughs. “I’m a bit of a klutz. Amazing I can get anywhere on the ice.”</p>
<p>“On the…” Dex flushes even more red. Nursey wants to touch his cheeks and measure the heat let off there, goddamn but he’s cute. “You’re on the hockey team.”</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>Alternatively titled: Lax Bro Dex</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this spawned as a prompt on my tumblr @unchillnursey and kind of..... grew legs and got away from me.   
> title from drinking with the jocks by against me! because... i'm predictable.   
> warnings for underage drinking (the original prompt was meeting at a party while drunk/literally bumping into each other) and some homophobic language and just general talk about homophobia and transphobia. nothing too extreme but you know. lax bros. it's a theme.  
> this is technically a wip but i have a plan for only like two more chapters. and the chapters are short so ideally i'll have it all done tomorrow :) (here's hoping)  
> eternal thanks to everyone who encouraged me and wanted more of this concept! i love you all.

The reason for Nursey patrol, really, is the fact that Nursey doesn’t believe it’s necessary. He’s spent hours trying to convince the team that _he’s not that bad._ Really it’s not like he’s worse than Chowder, the perpetual lightweight, or Shitty, the rowdy loudmouth. These arguments could tend to get out of hand, but what finally shut him up was Ransom’s powerpoint presentation. The assorted photos of him tripping over everything in sight, trying to flirt with the cardboard cutout of Wayne Gretzky, dancing on tables and sleeping under them, weren’t really flattering.

So he shuts up, but he won’t let them off that lightly. Chowder usually gets put on Nursey patrol, because nobody actually _wants_ to do it. It’s practically tradition to push the pleasure onto Nursey’s fellow frog. Still, Chowder gets distracted easily. He’s a terrifying goalie, but put a few beers in him and he’ll be way more interested in gushing to Caitlyn Farmer or… anyone really… about the Sharks, about hockey in general or about a cool dog he saw that day, than taking care of Nursey. So Nursey can sneak off and maintain in his head that he’ll be fine. He’s an adult. And then of course wake up half naked on the reading room covered in condom wrappers with the lax bros trying to hit him with paper planes from across the street.

It’s more difficult with Bitty. He gets put on Nursey patrol during the more intense parties, when everyone knows Chowder will be three sheets to the wind ten minutes in and definitely not capable of looking after anyone, let alone a veritable mess like Nursey. So Bitty, who tends to look out for everyone anyway, will keep his attention on the problem child. They get along, so it’s not really an issue, but Nursey has never been one to follow rules (he went to Andover, he knows how to bend them). It takes him a while to realise that playing Beyoncé over the speakers, Bitty is compelled to drop everything and wow everyone on the dance floor. It’s like some kind of spell, or curse, the music plays and his hips will not stay still. 

It’s one of these nights, not an epikegster but close, when he meets Dex.

He’s managed to slip away long enough to get Partition playing. He’s thought this out, all tactical and shit. Bitty’s drunk enough to get down and dirty with this song, and he’ll be plenty busy fending off - or accepting - advances from anyone who so much as sees his ass during that performance. That boy can _dance._ He sneaks a peek through the crowd to see Bitty’s cleared out a space on the dance floor and is twisting with his hands above his head like he’s getting paid for it. There’s a lot of people watching him with stars in their eyes. Perfect.

Nursey downs a red solo cup of tub juice as quickly as he can and grabs another, stumbling through people to get out to the front yard, where someone from the hockey team is less likely to chide him for being out alone. Or _not_ alone. He feels like grinding on… someone. Hm.

The tub juice kicks in hard at the most inopportune moment, and he trips down the porch steps, not that he hasn’t done that sober, right into a guy who’s yelling into his phone to be heard above the noise. There’s tub juice everywhere, sticky and vibrant green over his tight white shirt and the other dude’s… flannel. The squawk the guy lets out in protest is really fucking loud, and Nursey is already apologising and giggling, leaning hard on the dude - listen honestly even if this guy is straight Nursey  _knows_ most people won’t complain about being close to him, bound to get him in anyone’s good book - who is now yelling at him instead of his phone.

“What the fuck, dude?” Nursey looks up and gets a little caught in the guy’s eyes. They’re a weird colour, almost matching his vibrant red hair. Nursey had expected the freckled ginger to have some cute baby blues, but these are something like amber. 

He decides they match his personality, fiery, when the guy _will not stop ranting._

“Jesus, watch where you’re going, man, you got this shit all over me what the hell?” he shoves Nursey off a little but Nursey doesn’t go far. 

“Easy fix,” Nursey lets out a grin that he doesn’t _intend_ to be sleazy, but he’s drunk and yeah, okay, he knows he looks a little sleazy on good days. He then tugs his shirt over his head, because he really is drunk and it seems like a fantastic idea. 

The guy’s mouth pops open and his eyes skip down Nursey’s torso. Nursey isn’t close enough to see those pupils dilate anymore but he can tell that’s what’s happening. Score.

“What’s your name?” He asks, and yeah, definitely sleazy. Maybe Nursey patrol is a good idea after all. 

“The fuck…” The guy looks up to meet Nursey’s eyes again, still totally gobsmacked. “I mean… I’m Dex. Will. Fuck, you can call me Dex. Um.”

“I’m Nursey,” he says. “Nice to meet you, sexy Dexy,” there’s a part of Nursey’s brain that realises he’s being a complete idiot but it’s largely overshadowed by the drunk part, which revels in the idiocy. 

Dex clearly isn’t impressed enough by Nursey’s gorgeous abs to let that go. He frowns and raises an eyebrow. 

“Sorry for spilling all over you there,” Nursey laughs. “I’m a bit of a klutz. Amazing I can get anywhere on the ice.”

“On the…” Dex flushes even more red. Nursey wants to touch his cheeks and measure the heat let off there, goddamn but he’s cute. “You’re on the hockey team.”

“This is the Haus, brah,” Nursey laughs. “You can’t be surprised to run into a hockey player.”

“I just…” Dex visibly steels himself. “I’m with lacrosse, so…”

“You’re a lax bro?” The information seems to sober him up, and all of a sudden he realises how cold he is. “Is your stupid team about to crash this party?”

“No, I…” Dex sighs. “I’m here with other friends.”

“You don’t look like a lax bro, babe,” Nursey steps around to sling an arm around his shoulder and doesn’t see Dex glare at him for the endearment. “That’s a compliment, by the way.”

“Yeah well, I don’t hang out with them much,” Dex mutters. “You don’t look like a hockey player.”

“How dare you!” Nursey clutches at his heart. “I have the hockey butt and everything!” Dex looks like he has to physically restrain himself from looking to check, which makes Nursey grin.

“Still, it’s chill, bro,” Nursey says. “We can be like Romeo and Juliet, staring longingly at each other from opposing frat houses. It’ll be very romantic.”

“I’m not gay, dude.”

Nursey looks at Dex appraisingly. The boy looks at the ground and Nursey knows there’s shit going on there but he also knows not to push.

“That’s chill,” Nursey shrugs. “It can be a tale of forbidden friendship.”

“We met five minutes ago when you spilt tub juice all over me,” Dex is really good at raising one eyebrow. “Not really epic friendship material.”

“You’ll be eating those words.”

* * *

By some kind of miracle, Nursey wakes up in his own bed. There’s a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on his bedside table and he groans like a dying man as he reaches over to try to cure the hangover clouding his thoughts. 

He notices he’s down to his boxers when he rolls out of bed to look for his phone. He finds it in the pocket of the jeans he’d obviously left on the floor. Opens it to see two texts.

**_Bitty (2:37 am)_ **

_I see you found someone else to take over Nursey patrol. Have fun ;)_

**_sexy dexy <3 (8:43 am)_ **

_enjoy your hangover juliet_

Nursey finds himself grinning despite the pain in his head as he tries to think of something to text back.


	2. Chapter 2

Dex is staring at his phone. He’s not one to do that, usually. He doesn’t text much and his screen is shitty enough that he never goes online on it, that’s what his laptop is for. Still, here he is, staring at the _conceited asshole_ in his contacts. It’s listed below four different Chads. He hadn’t known a single one before he came to this stupid school and joined the stupid lacrosse team.

He could just. Call. Or text, texting is better. Nursey had replied  _sure thing romeo_ and as soon as it happened Dex had lost all of his nerve. He wasn’t sure if he wanted this to _be_ anything. Okay, no, he knew he wanted it. But he didn’t know if he should want it.

He recognises the low, unaffected laugh. When he looks up, said _conceited asshole_ is walking into the library. The group he’s with are way too loud. An Asian dude and a taller white guy, whose booming voice Dex recognises easily. He’s the _loudmouth acapella wannabe,_ as Harry likes to put it.

Nursey catches his eye, his ever-present half smirk in place. He looks like he’s about to peel off and come over, or worse, drag his friends with him and probably make a scene, when Dex feels someone punch his shoulder and looks up to see Chad N smiling broadly at him. He flings himself down into the seat beside Dex and when Dex looks up at the door again, Nursey’s back in conversation with his friends.

“Pointdexter! You really need to come by the frat sometime, dude. We barely see you around there,” Chad N’s cologne is kind of gross. Generally his teammates spray axe so liberally that Dex has vivid flashbacks to his high school locker room, but Chad N wears some designer shit and Dex is _sure_ that he can’t actually smell it, or he wouldn’t waste his parents’ money. It’s like caustic handwash mixed with stale grapes. Dex knows that Kyle uses it to deter the possum that keeps sneaking into the attic of the frat.

“Gotta keep my scholarship,” Dex mutters. It’s true. Technically.

“Man, it’s all work, work, work with you,” Chad N whines. “A few girls from their soccer team are coming over later, just a little party, yaknow? I mean, the girls who aren’t lesbos. Goddamn soccer chicks, am I right?”

“Right,” Dex knows his ears are a vibrant red and hopes that Chad N doesn’t draw any conclusions. “Sorry, my calc professor is a hardass,” (she’s a lovely woman really and Dex feels kind of bad for maligning her) “I have all these task sheets to finish…”

“Whatever, bro,” Chad N stands and claps Will on the shoulder. “You’re not getting out of these forever, dude!”

Dex hums idly, so thankful when the pungent odour of Chad N’s cologne dissipates, though he’ll be smelling the remnants for the rest of the day. He sighs and decides that since he’s here, he should probably actually do his calc homework instead of thinking about boys and rules and how fucked he is.

“Who was that?”

“Motherfucker,” Dex hisses, spinning around to glare at Nursey. “Just a teammate.”

“Ah, of course,” Nursey takes a deep breath and then sits very deliberately in the seat next to Dex. “So what’s up?”

Dex raises an eyebrow and settles back in his seat. His eyes skate over Nursey’s face, that careful expression, half-lidded eyes and slightly slack jaw. Dex smirks.

“Is this your way of asking why I didn’t text you back?”

Nursey’s mouth pops open and he glares a little, his dark skin flushing darker.

“Just wondering, Romeo,” he grouches. “Also, not to be a total dick, but is that smell you? Because I may have been drunk last night but I think I would have remembered…”

“Chad N,” Dex’s nose wrinkles. “His cologne lingers. A lot.”

“Chad N?”

“There’s four Chads on the team,” Dex looks down at his homework, not that he really thinks he can get work done with Nursey being all… pretty. When he looks back up Nursey is watching him like he’s insane.

“Four?”

“Yeah,” Dex laughs. “Not as bad as in sixth grade, we had six Jessicas in our class.”

“I’ve never met another Derek,” Nursey muses. “Lucky, huh? You must get it a lot though, being called Will. Parents really put you out to dry, didn’t they?”

“My parents didn’t – ” _Jesus Christ, Pointdexter,_ Will’s mouth slams shut. _Did you almost accidentally come out to this guy?_ “I don’t mind.”

“It’s a nice name,” Nursey says, doesn’t seem to have noticed anything’s wrong.

“Thanks,” Dex can’t hide his smile and when he looks up Nursey is grinning too. “What?”

“You’re cool, Pointdexter,” Nursey leans one elbow on the desk. It makes the tendons and musculature of his arm stand out and Dex has to tear his eyes away. “Especially for a lax bro.”

“Ok _what_ is your team’s problem with us?” Dex totally abandons his homework, turning to face Nursey fully. Fuck it. “I get it’s a rivalry or whatever but…”

“Come on, man,” Nursey whines. “We were getting _along_.”

“Because, I mean, my team generally don’t like you guys since you’re sort of… loud. And weird? Who eats so many pies?”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you ever had one of Bitty’s pies, man,” Nursey sighs dreamily. “Literal heaven. Your team is loud too, dude, and oh my god. You play _dubstep_. It’s torture.”

“I mean, I don’t really like either,” Dex mutters. “I prefer like, the stones, or Bob Dylan…”

“Oh my God, you’re just like Jack,” Nursey snorts a laugh. It’s so unexpected and cute that Dex is pretty sure his heart just grew three sizes. “Dad rock Dex. Jack is our captain, by the way…”

“I know who Jack Zimmermann is, Nursey,” Dex smirks and decides to ignore the _dad rock_ comment. “That’s another thing my team doesn’t like.”

“Hey, man, he gets a bad rap. He’s a sweet guy, I’m so sick of hearing him get called a coke-head or a fuck-up by people who don’t know him…”

“It’s fine, man,” Dex puts his hands up. “He’s a great player. I can’t argue with his skills on the ice.”

“You’ve seen us play?” Nursey smiles and it’s really brilliant. His teeth are shockingly white, in stark relief to his plush lips. “How’d you like number 28?”

“I dunno,” Dex can feel his grin and his flush and wow, is this flirting? He’s bad at it. “A bit cocky.”

Nursey’s elbow slips off the table and Dex can’t hold in his giggle. Last night the guy had tripped almost every step he took, fallen into a bush on their way back to the dorm building they realised they shared. Dex had to pull him out. He kind of wished that Nursey hadn’t had the good sense to pull his shirt back on at some point.

“You alright there?” Dex smirks. Nursey blinks a few times and nods furiously.

“Bro,” he mutters. “You gotta text me, alright?”

“Leaving so soon, Juliet?” Dex asks.

“I have – shit – I have practise, man,” Nursey stands and gives Dex a winning smile. “See you around, Romeo.”

Dex watches as Nursey leaves, notices how he looks back when he reaches the door, and finds that he can’t concentrate on the math he came here to do one iota.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Nursey tries not to think too hard about what he’s doing. Dex is… interesting. There’s days where Nursey hates him, to be honest, hates him for not texting back or for calling Nursey out or just being insufferable, but there’s more days where he just wants to talk with him, talk at him, be talked at, whatever, for hours. Dex spends a lot of time in Nursey’s dorm, sending him memes over facebook while they’re _in the same room_ and complaining about assignments and his teammates.

The thing is, Nursey probably likes him too much. Dex is gorgeous, Nursey wants to touch his hair and lick his freckles and do any number of other sappy, silly things. But Dex is also just, so interesting? There’s such warmth behind his eyes and softness in the way his hands work. Nursey is so doomed.

He feels like they’re in a limbo, though, he doesn’t know if Dex swings that way. Nursey came out to him the way he comes out to everyone, casually. He mentioned an old boyfriend and Dex didn’t react at all and that was that. Dex probably thought he was queer anyway. Nursey’s usually more subtle, rather than the mess he is when he’s around Dex.

Still, Dex is, ostensibly, straight.

But so are a lot of people.

The first time Dex comes out to him, he just blurts it out. It’s very _Dex._

“So I’m a trans guy,” Nursey nearly falls off his bed. Dex is scrolling through imgur or something, not looking at Nursey at all.

“What?”

“I’m a trans dude,” Dex gives Nursey the side eye. “I haven’t really told anyone else here, it’d be good if you could… keep it to yourself.”

“Huh,” Nursey lets it settle in his head, the few facts he knows about Dex’s home life, the way he doesn’t talk much in public and doesn’t like his team. “Wait, you haven’t told anyone else?” Dex is quiet and Nursey can tell he’s probably said something wrong. “I mean, not that you have to, just if I’m the first that’s… I’m honoured, man, thanks for trusting me.”

Dex finally turns to face Nursey, grinning.

“Nursey, you spent ten minutes ranting about the bathroom policy at your high school because one dude fucked up your friend’s pronouns in class earlier that day. I wasn’t really worried.”

“Dude, still,” Nursey says. “That’s pretty embarrassing now, actually.”

“It’s _chill,_ Nurse,” Dex says. “Don’t out me and we’ll be fine.”

Nursey wants to complain about that because Dex deserves more than that common courtesy. He deserves acceptance, and support.

“If anyone ever gives you shit, man,” Nursey starts, stops. Dex is giving him a look. Nursey has no idea if it’s good or bad. “Fucking punch them in the face. I’ll bail you out.”

Dex’s grin is crooked and blinding and _damn._

* * *

 

The second time Dex comes out to Nursey, he does it much like Nursey did for him. Casually. It goes a little differently though.

One second Nursey is chilling halfway to a nap with Troye Sivan – who Dex loves, and if that wasn’t a sign goddamnit – playing real low and the next his door slams open and closed. Dex is standing there. Nursey can just make out the stormy expression on his face.

“I came out to my teammates, and they’re all so… _ugh._ ”

“Wait, they know you’re trans?” Nursey pulls his shades open so he can actually _see_ and Dex looks pissed as hell. “Did any of them say anything? Dex…”

“What, no? They know I’m gay.”

Nursey’s world sort of tips on its side and later he will not be able to remember for the life of him how long the silence after that declaration lasted. His brain is working too fast, going from _what the hell_ to _did he tell me and I forgot?_ to _he’s gay and interested in boys ok, ok, ok._ He ends up somewhere at _this boy is cute and sweet and gay and oh no…_ when Dex finally says _something_.

“Oh, shit, did I not tell you?”

“Uh,” Nursey tries to form words but it’s proving difficult at this moment. “No, you didn’t. It’s chill though, it’s all good – ”

“I thought you knew man,” Dex says. “I mean I was pretty obvious…” Dex flushes and Nursey feels like he’s been hit over the head. Still, Dex came in here to complain. Nursey’s not going to deprive him of that just because there’s a possibility he could maybe make out with him sometime. He’s not a total shithead.

“Um, you were saying about the lax bros?”

“Right, fuck, oh my god,” Dex flops down onto the bed beside Nursey. “They were trying to set me up. Except, you know, they call it _getting me laid_. And I kept saying no but they wouldn’t have it, saying it was wrong for one of them to be so deprived. Anyway I just… had enough. So I blurted out you know… that I’m gay,” Dex sighs. “You can always tell, you know? I mean, you do know. Hah. When you come out to someone, when they find out, whatever. Some people will say shit, I mean at home… most people weren’t real great about it. But even here, I mean it’s one in four or whatever and they’re not gonna actually like… say anything outright to me. But I can tell that most of them weren’t cool with it. Harry – the captain – he said _well I guess we’ll stop looking then, unless you change your mind. Just think about those volleyball chicks, bro,_ and everyone laughed and you know, I laughed too,” he looks at Nursey like he thinks he’s going to get _judged_ for just protecting himself. _Christ_. “Anyway, I left pretty soon after that. They’re probably talking about me right now.”

“They’re shitheads, man,” Nursey sits up properly and puts a cautious hand on Dex’s shoulder. “They don’t deserve someone like you.”

“I…” Dex pins Nursey with his gaze and it’s always been warm but now it burns. “They’re not all bad, I’m just sick of it.”

“It’s chill, man,” Nursey says it partially just so he can get Dex to roll his eyes and look away, so he can catch his breath. “Stay here for a while, it’s whatever. Hey you could join the hockey team! Be my defence partner… Andrews is so boring. He doesn’t even have a nickname.”

Dex smiles and reaches over to turn up the volume on Nursey’s speakers, settling back into the bed and closing his eyes. Nursey watches him for just a moment, sends a silent prayer to Troye Sivan to save his gay ass, and joins him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so after some consideration, this is the last chapter. i was going to add more but tbh it would feel tacked on at this point. im happy with the ending (which is super rare for me endings are haaaard.)

Dex eyes the pie laid out before him. It’s better than looking up at any of the hockey players gathered around the table, staring at him beadily. The kid they call Bitty – Dex knows he’s older than him but he’s just so… bitty – is watching him demurely from across the table top. Dex has a feeling that if he offends Bitty he won’t survive the next several minutes. Nursey hadn’t warned him about this. He had taken it as a given that Dex would like Bitty’s pie. Dex kind of wants to yell at him, where he’s hovering behind Dex’s chair like a concerned parent, but he knows that’ll get him kicked out for sure, and no matter how weird and alarming this is he really wants to be here.

When he finally musters up the nerve to take a bite, he understands why Nursey hadn’t been concerned. It’s apple, which isn’t his favourite, but he honestly never wants to eat anything else in his life. It reminds him of his grandma’s cooking, the crust baked to perfection and the filling exquisitely sweet without being the least bit overwhelming.

“Holy shit,” Dex mutters. “Could you teach me how to make this?”

Bitty grins at him and the other boys loose their terrifying edge, moving down to regular levels of wary.

“See, man, I told you,” Nursey says, clapping Dex on the shoulder. “I would have brought you some, but these guys found out you’re with lacrosse and forbade me. On pain of death.”

“That’s a direct quote,” says Shitty. Dex only knows who he is because who the hell doesn’t know who a guy like Shitty is. The LAX bros _hate_ him. To be honest that’s kind of an endorsement at this point. “I’m still not decided on you yet, kid. I mean you have a swawesome nickname, that’s a plus, but…”

“Aw, Shits,” Nursey sighs. “I promise he’s cool.”

“He’s a LAX bro! It’s in the by-laws!”

“What’s in the by-laws?” Dex turns to see Nursey’s mouth clam shut and his cheeks darken. “Ours are like, bros before hos and stuff.”

“You see? It’s madness!” Shitty shakes his head violently and puts a hand on his heart. “In our most sacred of codes, it is writ, ffffffffuck the lax bros!”

Dex thinks he should be surprised, but he’s really. Not. At all. He laughs and nobody seems to know whether to be enraged or mollified.

“Listen, most of the team isn’t that great, and some of the guys are the worst tools I’ve ever met,” he says. “But I just _play_ lacrosse, ok, it’s a good scholarship. Doesn’t mean I’m a shithead.”

“You shouldn’t take Shitty’s name in vain,” says the only girl in the room – and was Dex ever surprised when she popped out of nowhere and introduced herself as Lardo – and Shitty fist bumps her.

“Guys, seriously,” Nursey pipes up. “He’s not gonna burn the Haus down. He’s chill, alright.”

“I’m gonna quote you on that in the future,” Dex says. “You totally think I’m chill.”

“Shut up, dude,” Nursey says. “You’re chill as fuck, alright?”

That does shut Dex up. It takes him a minute to process the fact that Nursey just _said that_ and he barely even notices that everyone seems to have grudgingly approved of his presence in the interim. Shitty doesn’t seem totally convinced but Bitty is firmly on his side and Ransom and Holster seem to like him. Jack Zimmermann, of course, looks like he doesn’t care one iota about these proceedings, more like he’d rather be at hockey practise. When Lardo says _I think he’s cool, Shits, calm the fuck down_ that seems to settle it and all of a sudden he’s being dragged upstairs, and not by Nursey.

“Yo, C, you’re gonna rip his arm off!” Dex spins to see Nursey running up after him and when he turns around his nose is three inches from the nose of the effervescent Chowder, who’d met them at the door and has not stopped smiling since Dex arrived.

“Dex! It’s swawesome to meet you! Nursey’s told me so much. I totally wanted to get to know you but he kept you all to himself! Do we share classes? I know you’re doing compsci and I am too! Also, I know you play lacrosse but you like hockey, right? You know who the sharks are, right?”

“Uh,” Dex takes in the sheer level of Chowder’s enthusiasm, the earnestness behind his words, his sharks hoodie and metal-filled grin. He smiles. “It’s great to meet you, man. Nursey’s told me a lot about you too. I think I’ve seen you in intro to programming… I love your hoodie.”

“Thanks! Oh my god I might have seen you too, I love your hair!” Chowder turns and pulls Dex down the hall, pointing at doors and naming occupants. When he walks into Bitty’s room, Dex isn’t sure if he should follow, but he’s pushed through by Nursey coming up in the rear and finds himself bustled through a window and onto the veranda.

“This is the reading room!” Chowder says, sitting on the edge so his feet dangle off. He doesn’t seem affected by the cold. “Nursey isn’t a fan. He’s afraid of heights,” Chowder whispers it but Dex still hears a _shut up Chow!_ From inside. “The only time he ever came out was when he got really drunk and slept here.”

“Wait, that was you?” Dex looks back in the Haus and Nursey is looking grumpy, sitting cross-legged on Bitty’s bed. “The guys wouldn’t shut up about it for days. Chad S got a paper plane in your hair!”

They all look across at the lax frat. No one’s outside at the moment, it’s not the warmest day, but Dex feels like they’re watching him all of a sudden. He coughs awkwardly and steps back through the window, Chowder following wordlessly.

They wander back downstairs and Dex peers at the noticeboard. Samwell’s 50 most beautiful is tacked up there and he scans the familiar faces. Jack Zimmermann and Ransom are both listed pretty high. Dex had honestly been surprised when it came out and Nursey’s face wasn’t staring up at him. He’d teased – chirped – Nursey about it, actually. Nursey had pouted and Dex had laughed for days but honestly. Were the judges blind?

Chowder and Nursey are whispering behind him – probably about him – but he ignores it studiously.

“Anyway!” Chowder says suddenly. “I have to go. Do a thing. I forgot my – ruler. I need a ruler. To measure my homework. Have fun guys!” He runs to the door and Dex pins Nursey with a look.

“Wow.”

“He may not be subtle, but he can save more pucks than anyone I’ve ever met and do the splits on command,” Nursey grins. “It’s terrifying.”

Dex hums. He can hear someone in the kitchen – who he assumes is Bitty – and the muffled sounds of a videogame soundtrack from upstairs. After a moment Holster’s yells add to the mix as Ransom whoops in victory.

“You wanna go outside?” Nursey is already stepping over to the back door. “It’s not a great yard but fresh air, I guess.”

Dex steps out behind him and yeah; it’s not a great yard. It’s small and definitely in need of some upkeep, but when Dex flops himself down in a beat-up lawn chair he feels weirdly at home.

“You seem quiet,” Nursey says. Dex doesn’t say that Nursey seems nervous.

“I’m a quiet guy.”

“Not with me, man,” Nursey grins from his own lawn chair. “You never shut up. It drives me up the wall.”

“You were the one who started this,” Dex gripes and when he looks over Nursey isn’t grinning anymore. “I’m happy you did, idiot, I dunno. It’s just weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“I feel like…” Dex reaches down to pull out a clump of grass. The ground is hard with the remnants of winter frost and his knuckles turn white with his grip. “I wish things were different. I feel like things could be so much better for me. I feel like you really belong here, everyone in this Haus just belongs here,” he takes a deep breath and the air is chilled enough that his exhale is visible. “I think I could belong here. Or I could have, anyway. It would have helped me and it’s not fair that I’m here now looking in instead of being right in the middle of everything six months ago. I want that really bad. But I’m just… stuck.”

He’s not surprised when Nursey kisses him, but he’s glad. It’s a heart achingly soft press of lips, barely there and only half-solid. Dex grabs him by the back of the neck, reaching out for more. More heat, more sensation, more Nursey. Nursey’s hand comes up to press against his cheek, fingertips probing over the angle of his jaw and they’re cold, they both left their gloves inside. Dex doesn’t really care, their breath is warm between them and it’s all he needs right now.

Nursey pulls away and shivers all over. When Dex’s eyes open he’s looking at him with so much… _something._ Fuck.

“Dex, you’re so…” Nursey sighs and it blows hot on Dex’s lips. He tastes like the coffee they’d had before rocking up at the house and Dex honestly hates his fancy frappucino whatevers but he thinks they could grow on him. “Just because stuff is complicated, doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. I wanna make you happy.”

“Fuck,” Dex tucks his face into Nursey’s chest and just breathes for a second. His cologne is much nicer than Chad N’s. “Ok, shit, let’s do this.”

When he looks up, he’s devastated by Nursey’s smile, then torn apart in the best way by the kiss that follows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much everyone for reading!! your kudos and comments are so appreciated :))  
> (also i realised after i had already posted the chapters which reference trans dex that some people might be surprised that i wrote him trans and didn't mention it in the notes or tags... but this is me we're talking about i honestly want to make it clear that my dex is always trans tbh)


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